Brisbane Launch

15 December 2016, the Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance celebrated another major milestone with the official launch of the second destroyer HMAS Brisbane (DDGH-41) at the Techport Australia facility in Osborne, South Australia.

Air Warfare Destroyer Alliance celebrates launch of Second destroyer Brisbane

Over 4,000 people including Government, Naval and Defence industry dignitaries, alongside AWD Alliance employees and their families, watched as the ship’s sponsor Mrs. Robyn Shackleton, wife of former Chief of Navy and HMAS Brisbane II Commanding Officer Vice Admiral David Shackleton AO, broke a commemorative bottle of wine on the ship’s bow and officially named the ship «Brisbane».

Following the official naming ceremony, the ship was lowered in the Government of South Australia’s Common User Facility ship lift to float for the first time, signifying a moment of immense pride for the thousands of Australian ship builders and combat system integrators who have worked on the project for more than a decade.

AWD Alliance General Manager Lloyd Beckett said that the launch of Brisbane was further demonstration of significant progress on the Air Warfare Destroyer project and a great opportunity to celebrate the work of Australia’s shipbuilders and system integrators.

«Today’s launch is the culmination of more than a decade of work and dedication by thousands of Australians and other members of the AWD Alliance to deliver Australia’s most complex next generation defence project. It is a significant achievement and an exciting moment in the history of the AWD project, with the milestone marking the AWD Alliance’s return to cost and schedule. Further progress will be evident in 2017 as the first destroyer Hobart completes Acceptance Sea Trials and is delivered to the Department of Defence, while the third destroyer Sydney completes block consolidation and hull integration», he said.

The AWD Alliance, made up of shipbuilder ASC, mission systems integrator Raytheon Australia and the Department of Defence, is responsible for delivering three Hobart Class DDG destroyers and their support systems to the Navy.

AWD Program Manager Commodore (CDRE) Craig Bourke remarked on the naming of the second Air Warfare Destroyer.

«Destroyer Brisbane, the third naval vessel to carry the name, acknowledges the significant contribution of naval personnel who previously served on HMAS Brisbane I and II, including those able to attend the launch today. Joining them are many current serving members of the Royal Australian Navy and crew members of the future destroyer Brisbane who are actively contributing to the delivery of this next-generation warship to the Department of Defence. Over the coming months, we will continue to progress work on Brisbane, proving her engines and gas turbines before the ship undertakes Builder’s Sea Trials at the end of 2017», CDRE Bourke said.

ASC Shipbuilding CEO Mark Lamarre said the launch of the destroyer was a special occasion for the ASC workforce, who through their years of dedication and effort had brought the ship to life, and in doing so proved the knowledge and skill of Australia’s shipbuilding industry.

«The launch of the second destroyer Brisbane further illustrates the highly skilled and professional naval shipbuilding capability here in Australia, with the AWD project laying the foundation for future shipbuilding work in South Australia», he said. Not only are we one step closer to the delivery of this exciting new capability to the Navy but we can take pride in the fact that Australia’s shipbuilding workforce will be able to apply key learnings from this project to future ones. It is entirely fitting that the AWD Alliance workforce is able to show off their remarkable achievements in building this impressive ship to their loved ones at the launch today», Mr. Lamarre said.

Raytheon Australia Managing Director Michael Ward welcomed the launch of Brisbane and commented on the significance of the Alliance mission system integration capability.

«As the combat systems integrator for the AWD project, Raytheon Australia has applied its highly skilled Australian workforce of 320 architects, systems engineers and project managers to the AWD project over the last decade. Raytheon Australia is responsible for the integration of ten major subsystems, including the Aegis Weapon System, which is provided through Foreign Military Sales, and associated delivery of more than 3,500 major pieces of combat system equipment required to establish the warfighting capability of the AWD. This will contribute to making the AWD the most lethal and sophisticated warship ever operated by the Royal Australian Navy. The AWD’s combat system integration activities represent some of the most advanced engineering and project management skills in this country. It is extremely satisfying that our strong investment in local capabilities has contributed so much to this launch milestone today. The success of the combat system integration activity is a source of tremendous pride for Raytheon Australia. Not only have we performed admirably on this project but we have built for Australia a national asset in combat system integration», Mr. Ward said.

The ADW project has made significant progress in 2016 with return of the program to schedule and budget, and the successful completion of Builder’s Sea Trials for the first destroyer, Hobart in September 2016.

2017 also is set to be an exciting and busy year for the program, with a number of significant events on the horizon including completion of Acceptance Sea Trials for Hobart, Builder’s Sea Trials for Brisbane and Hull Consolidation for the third Air Warfare Destroyer, Sydney.

The launch of Brisbane was further demonstration of significant progress on the Air Warfare Destroyer project